IWC Scum — PLEase Show SmackDown’s Tag Division Some More Love
Welcome back to the column that puts the incessant whining and complaining in IWC. I’m a neurotic nerd named SkitZ and that’s no typo in the title. Nope, it’s more or less the overarching theme of today’s article.
While SmackDown circa 2025 is notorious for its dull stretches and plot holes, one of the bright spots this year has been its thriving tag team division. There’s almost too many to count at this point, but I’m gonna do my best to list them all; even a few that aren’t quite fully formed. You see, I’ve developed a case of the summertime blues because SmackDown’s tag scene is an absolute blast, despite it constantly getting hosed. The talent pool on the blue brand is deep and ever expanding, but no matter how much the division delivers, WWE refuses to showcase them at their biggest events.
So consider this a PLE for better working conditions in relation to SmackDown’s top teams. What the hell is it gonna take for the company to start booking them on WrestleMania, Money in the Bank, Clash in Paris, etc.? Squads like Fraxiom and The Street Profits are routinely stealing the show, but can’t for the life of them reach that next level. SmackDown reverting back to a 2-hour format means fewer minutes per week devoted to their tag division, but guess what? SummerSlam ballooning into two nights means plenty of extra room to accommodate a couple of these overachieving teams. Let’s shed a little light on each of them as we run through the roster.
Pride Comes Before the Fall of The Street Profits
You’d think forming a faction with Bobby Lashley would have brought Ford & Dawkins more success and exposure… not exactly. WWE’s hot and cold booking of the multi-time World Champion seemed to rub off on his proteges as well. Fuckin’ B-Fab was the most consistently booked member of the bunch for awhile there after the stable disintegrated.
It took The Street Profits a hot second to get back on track after Lashley left for greener paychecks, but they finally regained gold in March and – up until a week ago – were the crown jewels of SmackDown’s tag division. Just not on any shows in Saudi Arabia, or Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, or any other venue that’s hosted a PLE lately. The last time Ford & Dawkins competed for championship gold at one? Way back at the SummerSlam in Nashville three years ago. That’s insane! I can understand a match like MCMG & DIY’s sleeper hit at the Royal Rumble not doing much to instill confidence in upper management, but The Street Profits are the most charismatically infectious team on SmackDown. They would be a worthy addition to any PLE or Saturday Night’s Main Event, such as the Atlanta edition that just came and went. It simply isn’t in the cards for whatever reason.
Ford & Dawkins wanted the smoke, and they just got it in the form of The Wyatt Sicks blowing the candles out on their title reign. The Street Profits put together a solid 4-month run full of awesome matches, yet the closest they came to making Backlash or Night of Champions was watching it from the front row. Montez’s own wife has worked more PLEs than them over that stretch, and she’s been out since WrestleMania with a couple broken fingers!
Hunter’s Supernatural Weakness and Why It Sucks for The Wyatt Sicks
And I don’t mean weakness as in our infatuation for crazy chicks like Nikki Cross before WWE started dressing her up as an Annabelle doll. Triple H is a practical man when it comes to pro wrestling; a traditionalist at heart. He could’ve never portrayed The Undertaker character to the effect and acclaim that Mark Calaway did, and that’s perfectly fine. It just hasn’t done much to expand on The Wyatt universe, which has always been the biggest hurdle in terms of getting the faction to fully connect across the board.
It’s easy to generate buzz around the group whenever they make a shocking return from one of their constant hiatuses. The aesthetic of The Wyatt Sicks is very sports entertainment-esque, but how do you keep a gimmick like that captivating week-to-week without it doing a disservice to the rest of your roster? While those initial months after their debut last summer ran smoothly enough, the move to SmackDown has watered them down into a bunch of weirdos who merely show up and wrestle. All those vignettes and promos that previously made up so much of The Wyatts’ identity have been stripped down to the bare basics. Road Dogg’s Voodoo Kin Mafia of a writing team doesn’t have the slightest clue how to book them creatively.
Bo’s cosplay crew had lost more steam than the American Horror Story series, yet they were still positioned to take the Tag Team Titles off Ford & Dawkins recently. A feelgood moment for Bray’s friends and family? Absolutely. The correct decision in such a crowdedly stacked division though? Ehhhh. The Wyatt Sicks are a cool concept for the pretend world they exist within, but today’s fan base largely gravitates towards reality based characters and drama. Unfortunately, there are 30 variations of the group across other forms of entertainment that are more layered and interesting. The Wyatts in their current state have a shelf life, and that shit is gonna start stinking Cardi B style soon enough.
For Triple H Guys, DIY Sure Get Pushed Aside Pretty Often
The longtime frenemies are a far cry from the individual stars we grew to love during that second wave of NXT greatness, but Gargano and Ciampa eventually hit their groove following various injuries and uninspired runs on the main roster. I’d argue that DIY’s done an infinitely better job pulling off the comedic heel duo than The New Day has since both teams joined the dark side last December. Gargano & Ciampa may not be setting the wrestling world on fire, but at least fans have enjoyed their work over the course of 2025. Woods & Kofi were only ever able to draw heat when they made it obvious that Big E had no intentions of returning to active competition. Then we quickly lost interest after realizing their character arcs all died right there.
So why is it then that DIY keeps getting shortchanged despite putting together MOTN-worthy matches on the regular? As a proud native of Cleveland, Gargano must’ve been extra pumped last August to be defending he and Tommaso’s titles in front of his home city at SummerSlam; before WWE rerouted them last second into dropping said belts on the SmackDown that preceded it. Then the collective snub of every top team within the division at WrestleMania 41, which was made all the more befuddling when their TLC match became a massive success one week later. DIY did work this year’s Royal Rumble to be fair, but they were put in the death slot on a shallow card in need of some filler. Johnny & Tommaso have been two of Triple H’s most reliable workhorses for the last 2 years and, while championship gold is great, being booked on bigger shows is equally as crucial. Keeping them off the SummerSlam’s and WrestleMania’s is sending the wrong message God dammit.
Despite their lack of action at PLEs, Gargano and Ciampa have played a huge part in building the blue brand’s tag scene into what it is today. The only problem with these new tag teams popping up recently is that DIY’s tumbled down the depth chart as a result.
MCMG are Basically the Brian Kendrick & Paul London of the Division
Not the worst comparison, right? If London & Kendrick never left WWE (i.e. became the victims of annual budget cuts), they’d probably be in Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley’s spot right now. The veteran journeymen of the division who can’t fly quite as high as they used to, but still find crafty ways to work around the limitations of Father Time.
Sabin & Shelley made a huge splash the night they debuted last October, and have settled into cruise control following a solid introductory feud with DIY. Barring a rash of injuries to the division, I don’t foresee the Motor City Machine Guns recapturing the WWE Tag Team Titles anytime soon. There’s far too many other teams who are flashier and more charismatic. I still can’t look at Chris Sabin without thinking “this dude could be Jon Moxley’s brother”. Way less balding and blading though. Younger teams could also learn a lot from MCMG’s professionalism and seamless transition into working the WWE style. Sabin & Shelley arrived barely 9 months ago, yet it feels like they’ve been around for much longer than that.
Fraxiom Went From First to Like Fifth Real Fast
Following their jump to SmackDown from NXT, Frazer & Axiom appeared destined to be the team that would take the titles off Ford & Dawkins. Well for a couple weeks anyway. The landscape changed drastically when The Wyatt Sicks resurfaced on Bray’s birthday and set their sights on the straps.
Since then, Fraxiom have fallen back to the middle of the pack. I don’t expect it to last however. The duo’s frenetic offense turned them into instant fan favorites who compete for MOTN honors on a weekly basis. Due to the depth on SmackDown, I’d argue that RAW could’ve benefited greater from the addition of an exciting young tag team like Fraxiom, but at least we don’t have to worry about them wrestling New Day and The Creed Brothers on repeat for the next 6 months. Am I the only one who’s reminded of Sin Cara when I look at Axiom? At least he’s far more durable, and far less prone to botches.
Mark my words, fellow wrestling nerds. Frazer & Axiom will be wearing gold in the near future. I’d honestly be shocked if they didn’t walk into WrestleMania 42 as champs. We both know Uncle Howdy’s Magical Mystery Tour will be sidelined again by then over some dumb shit like Erick Rowan fracturing his pinky toe.
The Lucha Bros Have Arrived! Well Sort Of…
Thank God they finally found Andrade something productive to do. I was starting to get real worried there. They were leaving Charlotte’s ex backstage all the time as if he was in the doghouse with his employers as well. You’d swear WWE had re-signed Alberto Del Rio instead of Andrade. < He’s far too talented to be kept out of the ring for weeks/months at a time.
The same goes for Andrade’s newfound lucha brother. Following a red hot debut right before WrestleMania, Fenix has cooled off considerably over the course of these past 3 months. When you don’t know what to do with two talented luchadores, lump them together and you’re bound to get some high quality matches if nothing else.
Clearly, the company’s captured lightning in a bottle with this pairing. I’d have loved to watch them battle The Street Profits – guaranteed banger matches – but now the stage is set for Andrade & Fenix to challenge The Wyatt Sicks on SmackDown next Friday (rather than at a PLE like SummerSlam of course).
While Andrade & Fenix could easily go on an epic tear against all the top teams in the division, it feels like they’re being situated as nothing more than fodder for The Wyatts, and that hurts my soul. Maybe the makeshift Lucha Bros. will have better luck going after Berto & Angel’s AAA Tag Team Titles. On that note actually…
Believe It or Not, Los Garza are Your AAA Tag Team Champions!
Yeahhhhh Berto & Angel still aren’t much more than windowdressing whenever the entire division is crammed into the frame during those chaotic backstage segments. It feels like the company threw the AAA Tag Team Titles on Los Garza simply because they’ve been good soldiers and just happen to be Hispanic. Plus WWE loves to buy up other promotions, then put their belts on WWE wrestlers who never defend those titles and call it mainstream exposure.
Obviously the language barrier makes things a bit more complicated, but poor Berto & Angel have been spinning their wheels forever. Right when it looked as if they were about to branch off from Santos Escobar and evolve as characters, the trio turned their attention towards When Worlds Collide and the entire angle was dropped practically overnight. What happened to that glimmer of storyline progression??? I felt as overdramatically double-crossed as Tony Khan did when Dragon Lee pulled a fast one on FTR. The whole ordeal has the makings of a petty, cringe-riddled telenovela. Bill Goldberg is actually shooting and directing one of his own at this very moment.
Yikes Boy! Pretty Deadly are Alive, But Barely
When they were feuding with The New Day a few years ago, I remember thinking for a brief moment that Elton Prince & Kit Wilson had a gimmick that could succeed on the main roster. And now I’m just amazed that these fairy-elf squire boys plucked out of Medieval Times haven’t been sent to the chopping block yet. Seriously, Pretty Deadly are about to get axed like the Netflix series Disenchantment, which I enjoyed infinitely more. And Elton Prince being injured again is only going to speed up their impending demise.
Pretty Deadly serves as a stark reminder that not every popular act in NXT is guaranteed to appeal to a larger market. Prince & Wilson had been drawing some decent reactions since turning face, but wrestling fans have short attention spans, especially when it comes to two dudes who look straight out of a Lord of the Rings parody porno. Pretty Deadly didn’t just get lost in the shuffle on SmackDown… they’ve completely fallen off the card, and that was prior to being bitten by the injury bug.
Perhaps a gimmick change is in order for the flamboyant duo? I mean Dolph Ziggler overcame a male cheerleader shtick that ended with him being shipped off in the same crate that likely carried the Gobbledy Gooker egg. Anything is possible.
Is Melo Don’t Miz Bound to Make a Comeback?
Carmelo’s first year on the main roster faced heavy criticism, and rightfully so. Hayes has no shortage of talent and personality, but due to his size, he’s never gonna receive the heavy-handed push of approval that we’ve witnessed with Bron Breakker. Doesn’t mean there’s not a spot for him on Friday nights, and for now I believe that’s tearing it up in the tag team division.
The Miz taking Hayes under his wing and helping the 2025 Andre Memorial Battle Royal winner earn some recognition proved fruitful for two guys who were wandering aimlessly beforehand. They soon began butting heads though, and when Miz and Carmelo were taken off TV, I figured the Creative Team had drawn a blank on what to do with them. However, it turns out Hayes was just on his honeymoon while The Miz is off filming American Gladiators. So where then does that leave the mentor/protege tandem moving forward? Probably dead in the water, but I’m holding out hope.
Amidst all the silly banter and constant hyping of one another, there’s a good dynamic between The Miz and Carmelo that appeared to be working. With WWE showing no signs of putting Hayes in contention for a midcard championship, having him chase tag team gold with a decorated veteran in the meantime is a great first step. Besides, Carmelo can always go back to leaning on The Miz as a mentor when he pursues a singles title later on down the road.
Could Divine Intervention Lead Priest & Truth Back Together?
Turning Damian and the Artist Presently Known as Ron Killings into a temporary team could work wonders as well. Truth’s booking since being brought back by demand has been all over the place, so if that was by design, congrats WWE – you’ve thoroughly confused the fuck out of me. In the aftermath of their respective feuds with Drew McIntyre and John Cena, it’s become pretty apparent that Priest and Killings were shipped off to SmackDown with no long-term plans in place whatsoever. They’ve spent more Friday nights scuffling backstage than performing between the ropes. Not the most promising of trends, wouldn’t you agree?
Damian suddenly stepping in to confront Aleister Black because Truth is basically too dumb to realize who he’s picking a fight with really gives off some nostalgic Judgment Day vibes. The recent history is there, and if anyone can convince Ron Killings to be his ride or die for a bit, it’s Priest. Once the rivalry with Black fizzles out in the fall, I would pair Damian & Truth together until Royal Rumble season rolls around. And if the team gets over well with fans, keep them together right through WM42.
SmackDown is already home to way too many tag teams, I know, but what’s the alternative? Working one televised match per month? Priest & Killings have crazy chemistry, so I say dive headfirst into that. Neither man is capturing another World Title anytime soon, and there’s no shame in the current tag team game. Not unless we’re talking about RAW’s whack ass division.